How to make time for your friends

Everyone is usually busy with their lives. We have work schedules, assignments, chores, and so many other things to do.

The problem is that with all this going on, we hardly have time to hang out with our friends. Somehow the time goes by so quickly. A week without seeing our friends suddenly becomes a month and then a whole year, maybe even two.

If you're not careful, you'll end up not seeing your friends for years, even if you don't live far apart.

The main question is, how can we make time for our friends when we are caught up in demanding schedules?

Here is how:

You'll never be able to see each other if you don't make them a priority in your life. I know you have so many things to do, and so do they, but you can sacrifice some time if you want to.

The truth is that even the busiest people have time for their friends and family, so there's no excuse.

Don't get used to turning them down or changing plans, or your friendship could start to crumble.

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This simple concept is a big problem for many of us. With this 'African timer' attitude, you'll never be able to have free time to enjoy being with the people you love.

For example, you can push yourself to get your work done during the week so that you're free at the weekend, or even prepare meals for the family the night before so that you're free to spend time with the girls the next day.

It's all about learning to be more disciplined with your time and planning all the things you need to do.

As we get older, it becomes harder to find free time. One way to deal with this is to get creative with the time you do have. You can plan to go shopping together, get your hair done on the same day, or even make a date to go to the gym together.

This is a great opportunity for you to catch up. When you're in good company, even the most basic activities can be fun.

Sometimes we get over-excited and make a list of a thousand things we want to do with our friends. But when reality sets in, you realise that you can barely manage to do a quarter of the things you had in mind. Eventually, you'll start to feel pressured and stressed about the plans you didn't get to.

Avoid this by making one plan at a time and being open to spontaneous meetings when the opportunity arises. Or, instead, save up for one big plan, such as a family holiday at the end of the year where you can go somewhere as a group.

Simplifying your plans will make them much easier to stick to.

Technology has been a great blessing, especially when it comes to relationships. Now we can keep in touch and maintain that strong bond with our friends even when we haven't seen each other in person for a long time.

You can video call them often, arrange to go to the cinema, play games online and so many other things. Of course, it's not the same as being there physically, but it still counts.

It also takes commitment, which shows that you're doing your best. At the end of the day, it's all about showing that they're worth giving up your time for.